SEED: Strategic Event Evolution & Design is looking for a Game Systems & Mechanics Designer. We're building a new category of live event and calling it Festival-Scale Gameplay.

The Forge is a real-world competitive game operating at festival scale: hundreds to thousands of simultaneous players across open terrain, organized into factions, competing for territory through a layered system of physical challenges, strategic resource management, Intel warfare, and siege mechanics. It runs in 90-minute sessions with full production — wearable tech, NFC readers, a custom app, LED arrays, delay towers, and a theatrically costumed Game Master running the field.

Think Capture the Flag crossed with a strategy game, running at the scale of a music festival, with the production value of a live event company behind it. That's the short version. 

What We're Building Now

We're in prototype phase. The game systems need to be designed, stress-tested, and documented before we move into full production. That's the work.

We have the event production infrastructure, the investor thesis, and the vision. What we need is the mind that can take a concept with this much moving surface area and turn it into something clean, playable, and scalable.

The Role

This is primarily a game systems design engagement. Mobile development experience is a secondary plus, not a requirement.

Primary — Game Systems Design

You'll be designing and balancing the core competitive mechanics of The Forge from the ground up. That includes:

• Player class systerm, differentiated abilities, roles, and strategic value
• Territory control and resource economy across a GPS-mapped open terrain
• Bridge-building mechanics that connect territories and shift strategic momentum
• Intel warfare layer — information as a resource and weapon
• Siege and Stronghold mechanics for endgame escalation
• Scoring architecture across 90-minute live sessions with hundreds of simultaneous players
• Parley and diplomacy systems between factions

The output isn't code. It's a living design document, playtest frameworks, balance logic, and rule structures that a production team can execute against.

Secondary — Mobile App & Hardware Integration

The Forge runs on a custom companion app. If you have experience here, it's a significant plus:

• iOS / React Native development
• NFC reader integration for physical player interactions
• Real-time data sync via Firebase or similar
• BLE / ESP-NOW mesh networking across a large open field
• Game Master control interface for live session management

Who We're Looking For

Background in tabletop design, video game systems, live-action game design, escape room mechanics, or competitive event design — all considered. What matters more than the medium is the thinking.

The right person:

• Has designed competitive systems with meaningful player choice and real balance consequences
• Is comfortable with ambiguity and iteration — this is prototype work, not polish work
• Can hold complexity without losing the player experience underneath it
• Wants to build something that's never existed before and isn't intimidated by that
• Doesn't need a corporate structure to do their best work

Engagement Structure

Contract, minimum 10 hrs a week to start with equity available for the right fit. Paid pilot engagement to establish the relationship before committing to a longer term. 

Location

Preference for candidates in Northern California, Northern Nevada, or the Southwest United States. Though if you're the right fit, we're open to candidates from anywhere.

Pay

Depends on experience. $50-100/hr

To Apply

Send an email with your resume describing your experience along with a note on why you are uniquely suited to endeavor into this new type of category of gaming.